I decided to lower the gearing on the Europa. She's currently running a 3/32" sprocket and chain (because I didn't know any better when I did the conversion) and the spare cog is a 1/8" (bought for my son's conversion after I'd discovered I can run an 1/8" chain on the 3/32 chainrings). Dura Ace cogs are about $30 and hard to get in 3/32, 1/8" chains cost about $10 and are available everywhere.

So decided to fit the 1/8" cog and buy a 1/8" chain. Easy - I was at the shop buying a seat post for the old girl anyway.

So, I get home yesterday. Messed about with the seat setup till the shops shut. Screwed off the old sprocket (gee, my tightening method really did work **grunt grunt** - cogs have to be tight when you're running a suicide hub). Screwed on the new sprocket. Pulled the new chain out of the box - and it's a nice shiny one too, not the dull black . Laid the chain over the cogs ... and the rotten thing is about three links too SHORT

When was the last time you bought a chain that was too short? They're usually about 6" too long. Grrrr.
Shops shut.
Drove to four today - all shut (it being sunday).

So now I'm trying to decide whether to swipe the chain off the lad's BMX for the Europa (near new and I've got spare links to lengthen it) and place the new one on his bike, or wait till tomorrow ... when I won't have time to get to the shops.

Yes, I did think of adding my spare links to the new chain but they are a different brand and a different shaped link (not to mention being black instead of chrome).

can't fault the KMC 700 Kool chain, always end up with about 10 links over, about $20 and heavy duty (apparently its the chain that Ryan Bayley uses). Forget about dura ace cogs, high priced crap, no name cogs are just as good and from my experience last longer.

I'm running alloy chainrings that date back to the mid eighties, why do I have to buy a Surly ring?

Dura Ace cogs? Can only buy what's available and that's all I've seen here in Adelaide. Besides, comments in the first post were directed more at comparing the cost of what I had in the workshop at the time vs what I knew I could buy in the shops - alternatives will be considered as and when needed

if a Surly chainring is anything like their steel cogs then forget it. I've been running a TA 7075 alloy chainring for nearly 2 years and it still looks nearly new. Its outlasted 4 or 5 cogs (including surly and DA)

tallywhacker wrote:if a Surly chainring is anything like their steel cogs then forget it. I've been running a TA 7075 alloy chainring for nearly 2 years and it still looks nearly new. Its outlasted 4 or 5 cogs (including surly and DA)

Your chainrings are supposed to outlast the cog by a fair factor on a single speed.

You have maybe 40 or 50 teeth on the front, of which half will be engaging the chain, likewise, 12, 14 or 18 on the rear, of which half are engaging.

So with a 50/12 say, you have 25 teeth front pulling the same load as 6 teeth at the back - your chainrings will last longer by 5 times at least, probably more as there is never such a high loading per tooth.

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